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Double Dragon (TV series)
Double Dragon is an American animated series based on the video game series of the same name. It was produced by DiC Animation in association with Bohbot Entertainment and Tradewest, Inc., and ran for 26 half-hour episodes in 1993 and 1994. Overview The premise of the show had the protagonist brothers separated at birth, with Billy raised by an elderly martial arts master known as the Oldest Dragon, and his brother Jimmy raised by the evil Shadow Master as his second-in-command, the Shadow Boss. As a result, the Lee brothers oppose each other as adults; but Jimmy is betrayed by the Shadow Master, and joins his brother as a Dragon Warrior. During the course of the series, the brothers recruited allies in their war against the Shadow Master (voiced by Jim Byrnes) and his henchmen. The futile search for their father, John Lee, was a subplot throughout the series. The plot of the pilot episode of the series is loosely based on the NES version of the first Double Dragon game. Like in the first NES game, Jimmy is revealed to be the Shadow Boss in this episode, with his henchmen being Abobo and Willy, who were boss characters in the game as well. By the end of the second episode, Abobo and Willy are sucked into the Shadow Mural, never to be seen again, while Billy and Jimmy join forces to fight against the series' true antagonist, the Shadow Master. All of the characters introduced from the second episode and onward were original creations made for the show. The story and characters of the animated series would be used in the Tradewest-produced Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls, a Double Dragon fighting game released for home consoles. Also, there was a feature film, The Shield of Shadow Khan, which was built by combining three of Season 2's episodes which were, Shadow Khan, Shadow Claw, and Doom Claw. Cast of characters The Double Dragons In the series, Lee brothers are martial-arts instructors and police consultants, who assume superheroic identities at moments of escalated violence. They usually transform out of those forms by crossing swords again and saying in unison "by the power of the dragon!", although several episodes show that heavy injury can deactivate their powers. Injury sustained by one is also taken by the other (although this ability is inconsistently shown); and if one has his powers deactivated by injury, so will the other. The brothers infrequently show an ability to sense when the other is in danger. They are the leaders of a small group of 'Dragon Warriors' endowed with superhuman powers based on the use of a smokeless, green 'dragon fire'. * Billy Lee (voiced by Michael Donovan) - The more peaceful of the two protagonists. He wears a blue outfit regularly, and a red dragon mask when he transforms (and later as the second Shadow Boss). * Jimmy Lee (voiced by Scott McNeil) - The more belligerent (and often sarcastic) of the two protagonists. He wears a red outfit regularly, and a blue dragon mask when he transforms. Dragon Warriors The Dragon Warriors are Billy and Jimmy's subordinates; each has its own distinct costume and powers. * Col. Neil "Blaster" McReady (voiced by Alvin Sanders) - A retired U.S. Special Forces officer, who discovers his neighborhood threatened by the Shadow Master's drug 'Oblivion', and assists the Double Dragons to destroy its production. The first of the Dragon Warriors. * Vortex (voiced by Ian James Corlett) - A boy trained by John Lee, and later orphaned by the Shadow Warriors. Later made a Dragon Warrior. It was later revealed he was illiterate, by reason of living in the streets after the Shadow Warriors killed his parents. * Kona "Tsunami" (voiced by Garry Chalk) - A Hawaiian Sumo Wrestler, trained in Chi by Su Lien; later made a Dragon Warrior who uses chi to fight. * Mike "Chop" Pollard (voiced by Garry Chalk) - A former police officer who lost his right arm in a car accident and now works as mechanic; tricked by Shadow Master into making vehicles for the Shadow Warriors. Once he realizes his mistake, he makes the Dragon Cruiser for the Double Dragons, builds himself a robotic arm, and is made into a Dragon Warrior. * Kami - A vigilante martial artist capable of creating magical armor; initially desirous of petty revenge on the Shadow Master for her father's death, and later a disciple of Su Lien's. * Daj (voiced by Ian James Corlett) - A mutant (half human, half feline) of the settlement of mutants known as 'Undertown'; an ally of the Double Dragons. Later made a Dragon Warrior himself, and the caretaker of an underground Dragon Temple. Junior Dragons These are Billy and Jimmy's younger students, and supporting characters throughout the story. * Michael (voiced Wesley Morris) - A boy who trains at the Dragon Dojo. He is the most seen of the Junior Dragons. * Jason - A student featured predominately in an episode where the Shadow Master sold plasma weapons to young street gang members. Jason bought such a weapon to get revenge for his sister's injury, but later relied on his martial arts instead. * Daryl - A kid who initially wanted to become a Shadow Warrior and helped to trick Billy and Jimmy into a trap. He switched sides when he saw the Shadow Master almost kill Billy. * Danny - A video game enthusiast, and the son of an archaeologist who uncovers artifacts for the Double Dragons. Friends and allies * Oldest Dragon (voiced by French Tichner) - The original Master of the Dragon Dojo, who raised Billy Lee and reappears in subsequent episodes in spirit form, as an advisor. * Marian Martin (voiced by Cathy Weseluck) - A police officer who helps the Double Dragons; a major character during the first season, but a comparatively minor role in the second season. * Su Lien - A tai chi chuan instructor who assists the Double Dragons in their quests. The Shadow Master has tried to capture her to learn her secrets. * Fireball - A young pyrokinetic imprisoned after taking part in a street gangs' war; paroled into the custody of the Dragon Dojo, and implied (though not shown) to later become a Dragon Warrior. * Marika - The wife of John Lee and the mother of Billy and Jimmy, and the Shadow Master's half-sister. She willingly lets herself be trapped by her half-brother inside the Shadow Dojo to spare Jimmy's life. In one episode, Billy and Jimmy found her, but could not save her from the Shadow Master's clutches. * Megabyte - A skilled computer hacker, who helps the Dragon Masters to travel the information superhighway, by virtual reality technology. * Sashiko - An Interpol agent against cyber crimes, and Kona's girlfriend, who introduces the Dragon Warriors to Megabyte. * Dragon Spirit - A spirit who inhabited a sword. When the sword is destroyed by the Shadow Master, Chop uses the left over metal in the Dragon Chopper. The Spirit of the Sword then inhabits the chopper and helps the Dragon Warriors fight. His original name was Dao Lung and he once belonged to Chen Long. * Chen Long - Chen Long was once a Dragon Warrior (literally, a dragon who was a warrior) who owned Dao Lung; presumed dead after his fight with the Shadow Monster, but later shown alive to fight it again. Shadow Warriors Most of the Shadow Warriors are mutants. The Shadow Master says in "Over the Line" that these mutants are created by "high levels of electromagnetic field generated by City's ancient underground power grid". According to the same episode, the EMF gives the Black Flame its power (the source of the Shadow Master's own magic). * Shadow Master (voiced by Jim Byrnes) - The main antagonist of the series and the leader of Shadow Warriors. He has many powers which include shapeshifting and teleporting, and he is able to trap warriors who fail him in the Shadow Mural. He was the half-brother of Billy and Jimmy's mother. * Icepick (voiced by Terry Klassen) - A Shadow Warrior who appears to be made of ice, who fights using a katana and a pair of daggers, sheathed under his skin. * Sickle (voiced by Scott McNeil) - A Shadow Warrior who specializes in disguises and is armed with two large red sickles. * Trigger Happy (voiced by Terry Klassen) - A purple-skinned Shadow Warrior, who uses a hand-mounted directed-energy blaster. * Countdown (voiced by Alvin Sanders) - A Shadow Warrior usually used to make deals with the organization's allies. He attacks with shoulder mounted rocket blasters. In "Shadow Conned," the Shadow Khan manipulates him into betraying the Shadow Master, and Countdown was imprisoned in the Shadow Khan's earlier prison. * Jawbreaker (voiced by Michael Donovan) - A monstrous pink-skinned mutant, capable of biting through almost any solid matter. In "Sight of Freedom," he turns against the Shadow Warriors after befriending the police commissioner's blind daughter. * Abobo (voiced by Blu Mankuma) - A large blue thug with monstrous strength, who works for the Shadow Boss in the pilot episode ("The Shadow Falls"). He is never seen after the second episode. * Wild Willy (voiced by Garry Chalk) - A gunslinger who works alongside Abobo; punished alongside him in the second episode. * Shadow Khan (voiced by Alec Willows) - Introduced in the beginning of the second season, he is a powerful sorcerer imprisoned in a shield by the Oldest Dragon. The Shadow Master uses the entrapped being to make himself more powerful, until Khan convinces Countdown to take his place. He is able to control his victim's worst fears, and is followed by a set of 'Terror Warriors' of similar power. Ultimately buried alive by Daj. * Shadow Warriors (voiced by Michael Donovan) - The Shadow Master's group of thugs. Two of them appear in Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls: a male known as Blade and a female known as Sekka. * Shadow Boss (voiced by Scott McNeil) - Jimmy Lee's alter ego. In the feature film, they are separate characters. Others * Hannibal - A huge doglike monster appearing in only one episode, "Judgment Day". * Little Brother - Daj's tame Western dragon; the mascot of Daj's underground Dragon Temple. Cast *Jay Brazeau *Donald Brown *Garry Chalk *Ian James Corlett *Michael Donovan *Terry Klassen *Scott McNeil *Wesley Morris *Alvin Sanders *French Tickner *Dale Wilson Additional Voices *Kathleen Barr *Randall Carpenter *Babz Chula *Raj Eriksen *Saffron Henderson *Maxine Miller *Tracey-Lee Smyth *Jayleen Stonehouse *Marcus Turner *Stevie Vallance|Louise Vallance *Alec Willows Episodes Season 1 * The Shadow Falls * The Legend Continues * The Mistress of Chi * The Price of Oblivion * River of Tears * Over the Line * Rebirth * Judgment Day * Dragon Hunt * Call to Arms * Heart of the Matter * The Abyss * The Eye of the Dragon Season 2 * Shadow Khan * Shadow Claw * Virtual Reality Bytes * Doom Claw * Superhighway Warriors * Undertown * Spirit in the Sword * Shadow Conned * The Sight of Freedom * Ancients Arrive * The Return of the Shadowmonster * Daj of the Undertown Dragons * RPM Merchandise In addition to the video game Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls, made for the Sega Genesis, SNES, and Atari Jaguar, Tyco Toys produced a set of action figures. The figures included Billy Lee, Jimmy Lee, Blaster, Vortex, Shadow Master, Sickle, and Trigger Happy. Three vehicles were also made: The (Dragon) Cycle, (Dragon) Cruiser, and Shadow Raven. Releases Select episodes were released on VHS. External links * Double Dragon series director yoshihisa kishimoto HP * Double Dragon Cartoon at Double Dragon Dojo * Double Dragon at TV.com